River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-11-03


or three of the boys gathering round.
You amt so steady as I've seen you.
Curt, says Perez. nearly bursting
a-laughing for as soon as the old man
touched the fish his arm sho. out, so
that the knife flew about three feet.
II didn' { say any thing. but picked the
knife up and iabbcd it into the fish
again You'd have thought he was
making passes like a sleight-of- hand
chap; his hands jerked this way and
that, and the sweat rolled down of his
face Ike rain. At last he dropped
her. and sat right down On the grass
and says: 'Perce. give me something
% st'ady my nerves; I've got 'em
again Well. old Cart never heard
the last Of that. and l never saw him
drink afterwards
Whats the use of the shocks?
Why, reckon they Kill fish with en-
or drive EN- of
The latter assumption is probably
correct The electric apparatus of the
torpedo fish Is its defens and is GER
taiuly good one. Its electric ,rgans
have been compared 10 the voltaic
pile, a ID consist of two series Of layers
Of heXagonal cells, the inter-
vening spaces between the plates
being filled with a trembling.
jelly-like substance. so that each
cell can be compared to the Leyden
jtr Each torpedo carries about $50
Of these batteries. the whole being
equal in power to about fifteen Leyden
jars. making $500 square inches
charged TO the higue st degree. The
upper side of the fish is positive. the
lower negative. the shocks evidently
being entirely at the will of the
strange electrician. The torpedo is
met with frequently along the Atlantic
coast. especially along the Georgia
portion Of it,
4 naturalist once made some inter-
es ing experiments, one of which was
the application of the telephone TO a
torpedo. 10 see if che shock gave an
audible sound. Such proved to be the
case. 4 short, low creak accompany
ing moderate excitement. the dis.
charge lasting about one-i fifteenth of n
second. When the fish was greatly
excited the crOak became a groan,
sounding. il was said. like the tonality
of mi and occupying four or five
ecouds. When the attention of scien.
tilic men in England was first called to
the torpedo fish. d.. Walsh. F. X. S.
amused himself and scientific London
with one of these fishes. after n series
experiments at the lie de Re The
performances took the form of pisca-
torial seances. and it became the rage
to take a fish shock. WondrOus me-
dicinal virtue was ascribed to il, and
the demand for torpedoes brought a
rich harvest to fishermen. Their use
in medicine. however. was not new.
aS Describes. the physician of Antony
aud Cleopatra. IS said 10 have made
use of them.
Dr. Walsh's method was to place a
living torpedo upon a wet towel; from
plate he suspended two pieces OF
brass wire by means of silken cord.
which served to insulate them. Round
the torpedo were eight persons stand
ing on insulated substances. One end
Of the brass wire was supported by
the wet towel. the other end being
placed in a basinful of water. The
first person had a finger of one hand
in this basin and a finger of the other
hand in second basin. also full OF
water. The second person placed
finger Of one hand in this second basin
and n finger Of the other in a third
basin. The third person did the same.
and 50 on until complete chain was
established between the eight persons
and nine basins. Into the ninth basin
the enl of the brass wire was plunged.
while DR.. Walsh applied the other end
10 the back Of the torpedo. thus estab-
fishing a complete conducted circle.
At the moment when the expert.
menter touched the torpedo the eight
actors in the experiment felt sudden
shock. similar in all respects to that
communicated by the shock of
Leyden jar. only less intense. The
torpedo was then placed upon an in
tn twenty persons similarly placed
from forty to fifty shocks in a minute
and a half Each effort made by the
fish was accompanied by depression
Of the eyes. which were slightly pro-
jectinS in their natural state,
and seemed 10 be drawI
within their orbits. willis the
other parts Of the body remained i'm.
movable. If only one Of the organs
were touched. in place Of n strong and
sudden shock. only slight sensation
was eNpcrienced-a numbneSs rather
than a shock. The same result followed
with every experiment tried. The fish
was tried with uon-couducting rod.
and no shock followed; glass or n roo
covered with wax produced no effect;
touched with metallic wire n violent
shock followed \ Boston physician
in making exp .riments with a power
ful fish was several times completely
tloored. and when OF 4 distance 0.
twelve feet he struck a fisl with GIG.
the shock was so powerful that he
could not release his hold.
Quito number Of electric fishes are
known. of which the South American
gymnotus Is undoubtedly the mosi
powerful I. Is that they are caught
by driving wild mustangs in the water
the fish exhaus ting their powers upon
them. often fatally The torpedoe.
are then captured by the natives. II
all nine different species are known.
three Of the curious electricians be-
longing 70 the Rly family. Ouc !;
a swor lfish. another 4 catfish. called
in the Nile country Of Egypt ''the
thunder fish. " and the third is the elec
trio te,raod on from Comoro. The lat
ter gives only a faint shock. but strong
enough to probably form a protection
from various animals. -SGrdaHgh Cor.
philadelphia Times.
some Stern morali~fs say. in T.
signed sort Of way: Let justice b
done. though the heavens falir' an